Review: Neil Young performs short, but sweet show

There might not be another rocker in the game that can deliver a more thrilling solo show than Neil Young.

He can just sit on a stool with an acoustic guitar in his hands and unleash one mesmerizing song after another. Then he’ll move over to the piano or the organ – or, perhaps, grab an electric guitar – and the whole process repeats. His lyrics, so thoughtfully poetic and imaginatively accessible, tug at the heart and stimulate the brain with equal force.

Some of his selections, of course, are more effective than others, but nothing in his song book is without some kind of merit.

Indeed, there were moments of pure brilliance during his concert on Sunday – the first of three nights at the Fox Theater in Oakland. (Young will also perform Monday and Wednesday at the Fox, as well as Thursday at UC Davis.) That said, however, the capacity crowd was a bit shortchanged by the 64-year-old rocker.

It may have been Walt Disney that coined the phrase “Always leave them wanting more,” but it’s a motto that Young has apparently taken to heart when it comes to local audiences. For six years, he’d skipped over the Bay Area with his regular solo tours – since performing back in 2004 at the Berkeley Community Theatre – and only made brief appearances at his annual Bridge School Benefit concerts at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View.

When local fans finally got to experience the real deal, on opening night of the Fox run, what they received was a mere 85-minute set. That’s a paltry showing for the high ticket price, which topped out at $200 per ducat. A two-set offering, sans an opening act, would’ve been much more appropriate.

Young did, however, make the most of his time. He strolled out onstage in a very casual manner – dressed in well-worn jeans, a black T-shirt and a white hat and coat – sat down on a stool, grabbed his acoustic guitar and immediately jumped into “Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black),” from 1979’s “Rust Never Sleeps.” The rendition was powerfully hypnotic, full of haunting lines that have been sung, and heard, hundreds of times, yet still somehow achingly poignant.

He followed with another solo gem, “Tell Me Why” (from 1970’s “After the Gold Rush”), before venturing into the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young oeuvre for “Ohio,” a protest song that still manages to resonate 40 years after the killings at Kent State that inspired the lyrics. The mood brightened when Young performed one of his more humorous recent songs, “You Never Call,” which boasts a lyric about the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings that drew a loud “booo!” from all the San Jose Sharks fans in attendance.

Young was all business as he shuffled between two pianos, an organ and both electric and acoustic guitars. He barely spoke, but his songs said volumes to the fans that sang along – often in a fashion approaching a reverential whisper – to words that have meant so much to them over the years.

Young’s voice, while far from being a technical marvel, conveyed an almost unbearable amount of emotion. That’s how he was able to make such decades-old selections as “After the Gold Rush” and “I Believe in You” (also from “Gold Rush”) sound so fresh.

After closing the main set with a rollicking take on the classic “Cinnamon Girl” (from 1969’s “Everybody Knows This is Nowhere”), which featured some of Young’s most ferocious electric guitar work of the night, the star left the stage and then, as predicted, returned for an encore.

Since he’d only been onstage for 80 minutes, it seemed plausible that Young would deliver a lengthy encore. That didn’t happen. It was only a one-song offering, of the new song “Walk With Me,” and then he was gone again.

Jim Harrington

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Don’t know if you went to Diana Ross’ concert at Saratoga June 12th 2010.

That was only 70 minutes. Top ticket prices were $149.50 plus the $20.50 service charges for a whopping $170 plus the $15 or $20 parking fee.

Her average time for this show in others cities has been aroung 85+ minutes. Why the people in Saratoga got shortchanged is beyond me.

She did have an opening act which she did not at her other venues.

Chris

I agreed with one part of your interview, the show was way too short for the price. I saw the Monday show and I was disappointed. It was like watching an old rocker go through the motions and picking up his check. It was a shame being a younger fan than most. It was a huge letdown and I doubt I’ll spend my $ on him again.

Lance Newberry

I was at the Monday show and didn’t think much of it.

Neil is in fine voice these days, but the song selections didn’t wow me and I really didn’t like the electric guitar bit; it had my ear searching for a band and made for an incomplete sound to the songs.

He’s one of the few artists who can hold an audience to pin-drop attention alone with just an acoustic guitar, even at the vast Shoreline Ampitheatre at the end of a 7 hour concert, but this one just didn’t fly for me. For these prices you’d better be a DEEP fan for this show.

And to Chris who posted above, save some money and give Neil another chance if you get the opportunity to see him electric with a band (not likely if you live in the Bay Area).

He won’t come across as an old rocker going through the motions then. He’ll tear your face off.

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